At times, you may need to switch your business phone service to a different provider, perhaps to gain a more competitive rate plan, more phone options, or better service coverage. You can easily port your existing phone number to a new carrier. According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations, as long as you remain in the same geographic area, you can port your business phone number to any carrier you wish, whether it's a landline, wireless, or VoIP phone.

Contact the phone company you have selected as your new provider and inform them that you want to port your business number to them. Do not cancel your old phone service at this time.

Wait for service to begin with your new phone company. The new company will initiate and ensure the completion of the porting process. This can take anywhere from a few hours to several days, depending upon the carrier and whether the service you are porting is a wireless or landline phone.

Call your previous phone carrier after the port has been finalized and close your account. Although the number will be ported away from them, your account might not be closed automatically and could continue to accrue monthly service charges until you close the account.

Pay any termination fees or account balances from your old phone service provider. They cannot prevent your number from being ported if you owe a balance, but paying off your balance will ensure that you can re-establish service with the old provider, if you choose to do so in the future.

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About the Author

Melinda Gaines has been a freelance writer since 2006, with work appearing online for YellowPages and other websites. Her areas of expertise include business, beauty, fashion and sports. Gaines attended the University of Houston where she earned a Bachelor of Science in sport administration.